November 21, 2012
Post Trip Reflections
This cycling trip to Europe has signified for us, an auspicious beginning to retirement. Like the expression "begin as you mean to go on".. cycle touring and travel are the way we mean to continue.
Travelling by bike is truly an amazing experience. Extraordinary sights and memorable events are to be expected, but one can never be fully prepared for the warmth and generosity of the people you encounter along the way. These personal interactions with locals and fellow travellers, typified by spontaneous offerings of hospitality and kindness, and the resulting friendships are memories that we cherish.
Anonymity is not an option when riding a bike like ours. Our recumbent tandem bike elicited much curiosity and helped to initiate countless conversation. We had expected to see other bikes like ours in Europe, but that wasn't so. Even bike mechanics wanted to investigate our bike and talk about its features.
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THE BIKE!
What worked....
First and foremost, the ROHLOFF SPEED HUB was an amazing upgrade for the bike. The only downside of a Rohloff is the cost, and we felt, on a daily basis, that the advantages it provided in terms of functionality and low maintenance, paid for itself.
Some of the reasons we love the Rohloff:
-changing gears is silent and seamless. It's also really great that you can change gears when not pedalling and while stopped.
-chain wear is no longer an issue as the single chainring on the front eliminates lateral movement of the chain
-little wear and tear on the front chainrings, reducing the need for replacement
-a superbly quiet drivetrain (we love a quiet bike!)
-zero maintenance (one oil change per 5000 km).
RADICAL DESIGN CYCLONE III TRAILER - we used to use a BOB single wheel trailer but didn't enjoy the shimmy it could develop on hills - but mostly, we didn't like that on flights it becomes another piece of luggage. What sold us on the Radical Design trailer is its unique design. The quick release wheels instantly allow you to convert it to a "hand tow" trailer as well as into a fully loaded duffle bag for transport by plane. The trailer is lightweight, sturdy and tracks beautifully. We had no problems with the trailer over 4000 km of varied terrain with a heavy load of camping gear.
As a result of using a trailer, we were able to reduce the number of panniers to two on the bike. Arkel RT 40's were mounted on a Terracycle Underseat Rack under the stoker. This considerably lightened the load and wear and tear on the rear wheel of our bike. Plus, it was much easier to navigate the bike around obstacles. If we encountered a tricky gate, we could quickly disengage the trailer, with one person pulling the trailer and the other rider lifting the bike around an obstacle. Previously, when we used 4 panniers, we found the bike hard to lift and the rear tire and rim suffered.
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ANGLETECH SEAT BAG
Angletech is a wonderful bike shop in Colorado owned by Kelvin Clark, a recumbent specialist. The seat bag is his unique design and we found it to be indispensable. It fits quickly and securely over the stoker's seat, functions well as a shoulder bag off the bike and best of all, the inner pocket which is designed for a water bladder, works well as a padded secret spot for our Macbook Air. Like all of Angletech's bags, the seat bag is thoughtfully designed and hand made near Seattle. As well, when travelling on a loop trip, we use our Angletech Seavo specific bag for transporting the bike.
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to be continued....
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